About

The Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect, is a regional wine competition run by Wine Marlborough Ltd.

The aim of the show is to:

Champion Marlborough wine excellence and wine provenance
Promote sub regionality and diversity of wines grown in New Zealand’s largest wine region
Promote and foster wine show judging talent within the region

The Marlborough Wine Show was created and built by Belinda Jackson and Margaret Cresswell in 2011. Wine Marlborough, the regional winegrower representative body, purchased the show after 2017 with the aim of continuing its legacy.

2024 Key Dates

Entries Open - 8 August
Entries Close - 4 September
Samples due - 20 September
Judging- 2-4 October
Industry Tasting - 4 October
Results notified - 9 October
Long lunch Celebration & announcement of trophies - 18 October

Awards

Wine Marlborough believes the show plays an important role in developing the reputation of Marlborough wine, as well as being a key event to celebrate the brilliant winemaking and viticultural talent in the region.

The competition rewards top-performing wines with trophies, gold, silver, and bronze medals scored using the 100-point system. All wines are tasted blind under strict wine show protocols.

Please visit the Awards page to learn more about these trophies and view previous results. We would like to thank our partners for their support of these special awards.

MEDAL IMAGES & STICKERS

2024 Information

Media Release 1 October 2024 - Tasting to get underway for the 2024 Marlborough Wine Show

2024 Judging Team

Featured

Stu Marfell

Stu was born and raised in the Awatere Valley, not far from the Vavasour Vineyard. A graduate of Lincoln University with a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology, Stu joined Vavasour Wines in February 2003 as an assistant winemaker. Stu became chief winemaker in 2007. He has judged at many shows including Air NZ wine awards, Marlborough wine show and New world wine awards.

Guest Judges

Featured

Elaine Chukan Brown

Elaine Chukan Brown serves as a writer, speaker, and global wine educator. Brown is the Napa Valley specialist for Wine Enthusiast and previously served as the Executive Editor US for JancisRobinson.com, a columnist for Decanter Magazine, and a contributing writer to Wine & Spirits Magazine. They contributed to both the 4th and 5th editions of the Oxford Companion to Wine, the 8th edition of the World Atlas of Wine, and the compilations On Burgundy and On California from Academie du Vin Library.

Indigenous (Inupiaq and Unangan-Sugpiaq) from what is now Alaska, Brown has dedicated their career to the intersection of sustainability, climate action, and reducing gatekeeping in the wine industry. They co-founded the Diversity in Wine Leadership Forum and have advised diversity initiatives in multiple countries.

Brown serves as a judge for the Texsom Awards, chair of judges for the 67 Pall Mall Communicator Awards, and is a board member of the Wine Writer Symposium.

Sam Kim (Deputy Chair)

Sam has been involved for the past 35 years in New Zealand hospitality, wine retail, importing and distribution, as well as running wine courses and master classes.

Sam holds a Certificate in Winemaking from EIT (Hawke’s Bay), and has been judging wine for the last 26 years at various wine competitions and magazines, including the New Zealand International Wine Show, The Royal Easter Show Wine Awards, the Spiegelau International Wine Competition, The Air New Zealand Wine Awards, The New World Wine Awards, New Zealand Aromatic Wine Competition, Marlborough Wine Show, Decanter Asia Wine Awards, Cowra Wine Show and Cuisine Magazine.

He is the writer and publisher of wine review website, Wine Orbit (www.wineorbit.co.nz).

Panel Leaders

Featured

Jeremy McKenzie

Award-winning winemaker, Jeremy McKenzie is a seasoned Marlborough expert who focuses on crafting wine that reflects sense of place. Growing up on a farm in North Canterbury, Jeremy is a real Kiwi hunter-gatherer, adventure man and winemaker. After completing his studies, a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a double Post Graduate Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology and Forensic Science, Jeremy’s knowledge and passion took him to industry roles in France, Australia, and the USA where he gained extensive winemaking experience at some of the leading wineries in the world. Jeremy has brought his passion to craft exceptional quality wines along with his wealth of international knowledge, home to Marlborough to continue his endless pursuit of winemaking perfection at Isabel Estate.

Natalie Christensen

Nat is the Chief Winemaker at Yealands Estate, with a winemaking career spanning over 17 years. She has been a senior judge at a number of New Zealand wine shows and has also judged in London at the International Wine Competition. In 2018 she was named one of the most influential women in wine in the world by UK publication The Drinks Business and in July this year, was named White Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine Challenge. Nat has a love of bright pants and star gazing.

Kyle Thompson

Kyle is a Senior Winemaker at Saint Clair Family Estate. After studying food science, Kyle began his working life in the dairy industry in microbiology. Kyles interest in the wine industry began in earnest while living overseas. After vintages in Bordeaux and Tuscany, and further winemaking study, he returned home. Kyle has judged at many shows over the past decade and enjoys judging in New Zealand as it puts his expertise to the test and allows for a look at the quality and diverse range of New Zealand wines first-hand.

Senior Judges

Featured

Tom Dixon

Tom Dixon is a Winemaker at Villa Maria’s Marlborough Winery. After spending a few years chasing winters, snowboarding, he finally decided to take his ever-growing passion for wine to the next level by pursuing a career in making it, so he moved to Hawkes Bay to study Winemaking. His first vintage was with Vidal Wines in 2010 and has spent time gaining experience with other notable New Zealand wineries. He joined Villa Maria in 2012 as a Cellar Hand in Auckland before doing a stint as Nightshift Pinot Winemaker in 2014. He was then given the opportunity to relocate to Marlborough permanently in 2015 as the Assistant winemaker before moving into the role of Winemaker.

Nikolai St George

Originally from the King Country, Nikolai’s winemaking career has taken him around New Zealand and the world – including stints in Chile, France, Australia and the United States. Head Winemaker for Cloudy Bay Vineyards.

Kate Bennett

A chance summer job working in the vineyards of Marlborough, followed by a vintage in California "to see what winemaking would be like", has led Kate to spend the last 20 years in the wine industry. Now the winemaker at Rose Family Estate, she has worked in California, Oregon, Burgundy, Tasmania, Hawkes Bay and of course, Marlborough.

Associate Judges

Featured

Kelly Stuart

Kelly is a winemaker at Cloudy Bay with a degree from Lincoln University. Hailing from Auckland, she has refined her skills through overseas vintages in Champagne, Australia, California and Canada. Kelly looks after the Pelorus sparkling wine program and is passionate about making méthode traditionelle.

David Foes

David is the Operations Winemaker for The Coterie - a small Organically focused winery in Marlborough. He has lived in Marlborough for 12 years with stints at Yealands, NZ Wineries and Marisco before joining The Coterie in 2023. He has overseas experience in Oregon, Burgundy and the Yarra Valley.

Josh Lee

Josh Lee is the winemaker at Huia and has also worked with VinLink, Whitehaven, Dog Point and Greywacke in Marlborough. After obtaining his WSET level 3 and a BSc with Honours in Viticulture and Oenology from Plumpton College in the UK, he went on to make wine in Greece, California, Australia, Germany, the UK, Spain and Central Otago where he was responsible for Akarua’s traditional method sparkling program. He has been a wine judge in both New Zealand and Burgundy and he is passionate about traditional method sparkling wine and loves Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Although he has worked all over the world, Marlborough is his tūrangawaewae, his place to stand.

Mary Schneier

Mary Schneier was born and raised in America's most idyllic destination, St. Louis, Missouri. She earned a Bachelor of Food Science with an emphasis in Viticulture and Enology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Soon after, she fell in love with Chardonnay during her first vintage in California. Mary decided to cross hemispheres in 2016 to work a vintage with Rose Family Estate. After another California vintage, she joined the Wairau River team permanently in 2017 and jumped the ranks to Assistant Winemaker in 2018. In 2020, she officially started living the dream as Wairau River's Chardonnay Winemaker.

Richelle Tyney

Born and raised in Nelson, Richelle’s family belong to a confederation of iwi that have centuries-old connections to the land of Te Tauihu (top of the South Island). Richelle firmly believes in minimal intervention winemaking and that wine should express its tūrangawaewae (a place to stand). Her special vinous passion is pinot noir and the hillside terroir of Marlborough’s Southern Valleys holds a very special place in her heart.

Emily Gaspard-Clark

Emily is originally from Auckland and has been involved in the wine industry for over 10 years. After graduating with a Bachelor in Viticulture and Oenology from Lincoln University she worked in different roles around New Zealand and overseas in France, Canada, and Australia. In 2017 she moved back to Marlborough to Spy Valley and took up the role of Assistant Winemaker before moving into the Winemaker role in 2021.

2024 Sponsors

We are very appreciative of the support of our sponsors. These companies are as passionate as we are about the Marlborough wine industry and we are grateful to have them on board.